


afterglow

by romajstorovic



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Gen, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) Angst, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 21:04:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15276162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romajstorovic/pseuds/romajstorovic
Summary: lance knows fear. he knows the taste of terror, blue and ice cold on his tongue. it's a taste that's all too familiar, and one that he'll probably die with.blue wishes he wouldn't.





	afterglow

**Author's Note:**

> You can blame my friends Suzie, Charlotte, and Anniss for this mess.

It was always going to end this way. He'd spent nearly three years in space narrowly avoiding death. Times he'd nearly died play through his mind, filling his already buzzing mind with memories like fireworks.

Fireworks, but infinitely less beautiful. There was the time he'd nearly been blown up by Sendak shortly after joining Voltron. There were the countless fights with the Galra- and Alteans, too. He remembers Other-Shiro, Sven, taking the hit that was meant for him. He remembers the other man smiling up at him from where he lay dying, and promised Lance that he would be okay. They both knew Sven wouldn't make it.

Then there was the worst time. The one so much scarier than all the others, because, this time, _he had died_.

He remembers the adrenaline as he watched the radiation belt moving ever closer. He remembers the taste of fear as the belt of radiation approached an unmoving Allura, and he remembers the taste of fear, cold, unyielding, disgusting.

He remembers the impact of his lion on Allura's. He remembers yelling as the force threw him into the console. He remembers the pain as he died. He remembers dying, and he remembers coming back to life. He remembers. He _remembers._

_He remembers._

And it feels like this.

The fear is back as he takes stock of his surroundings. He's in Blue now they have Shiro back, and he knows Blue knows of his fear. He'd be a fool to try and hide it.

In the heart of the planet, deep within a stony tomb, lies a bomb unlike any the Paladins have ever come across. It was designed by someone Lance has never heard of before, and it is very, very deadly.

The bomb is dangerous because it only targets living things. Robots and AIs, like the lions, don't count. They're technically not alive, even though they are. It's complicated, and Lance just accepts it. There's nothing he can do.

The other Paladins are focused on shepherding the planet's residents to safety. It's just Lance, and he has five minutes left before the bomb blows.

Five minutes. Three hundred seconds. It's not long, not long enough, not by any standards. There's so much he has to say, so much he has to do. He's young, he's scared, and he's alone.

 _You have me,_ says Blue.

"I know," says Lance. He considers his options, and realises he only has one.

"Hey, Hunk?" He asks, opening a private channel with his best friend.

"Kinda busy, buddy, what do you need?"

"Promise me we'll get ice cream or something after this?"

"I promise. Hey! No! Not funny!" Hunk yells at an alien who's attempting to eat his left leg.

"You're my best friend. I love you, buddy."

"Love you too, Lance," Hunk grins.

Lance cuts the communication channel. He sets it so that he can hear the others, but they can't hear him. At least he'll die hearing their voices.

Hopefully.

 _What are you doing?_ Blue asks as Lance turns her towards the tunnel leading inside the planet.

"Saving the world, no big deal," Lance jokes, but he's not feeling it.

_I won't let you._

"I'll be safe. Promise."

Lies.

_I trust you._

And he's going to break that trust. He's going to hurt her. There's so much he needs to do, so much...

He steers his lion through swathes of alien wildlife. "I can't believe we're losing all of this," Pidge pipes up, as if she's hearing Lance's thoughts.

"We won't," Lance mutters.

If Pidge and Matt are to be believed- which they are- the bomb only works on planets with an atmosphere, such as this one. That means, to detonate the bomb safely, they have to get it to somewhere without an atmosphere. Like space.

The others couldn't move the bomb. There was some shield over it that meant they couldn't get to it. Lance, heart like lead, raises his hand as he steps out of his lion.

"Maybe you just have to knock?" He quips, and a strangled sob escapes his mouth as he remembers finding Blue and doing the same thing. Life is a circle.

Lance drags the bomb into the lion and feels Blue's hesitation. She doesn't like him being this close to something that could kill him, but she doesn't say a word. She trusts Lance.

The timer reads two minutes and thirty four seconds. Just enough time to get to space. Lance flies like he's never flown before, because he'd rather it be him that anyone else. He remembers Sven and the shot that should have hit Lance, and guilt hits Lance in waves.

One minute forty. He still has so far to go before he leaves the planet behind. The comm fills with the Paladins' yells, asking Lance what the _hell_ he thinks he's doing.

"Saving the world," Lance mutters, before turning the comm back on. "I'm sorry. I love you guys."

"Lance? What's going on?" It's Allura. Painfully oblivious Allura.

"I did a stupid thing," Lance admits, "but better me than them, right? Stay safe, princess. Look after the others for me." As he turns the comm off he sees the Black Lion, carrying Allura and Shiro, speeding towards him.

Ten seconds.

_You promised._

They won't make it.

"I'm sorry, Blue. So sorry."

He's going to die.

He's going to die, and he'll never see his family again. Oh god, his family. Luis, Veronica, Marco... They'll never know. The other Paladins probably won't find them.

The bomb goes off.

-

The force of the impact knocks Lance's helmet from his head as he slams into the console. The blast cracks the windscreen and Lance feels fear. But he's no stranger to fear.

Blue screams as she feels the bomb rip through her insides. There's no way to protect her Paladin. There's nothing she can do.

She feels Lance and she feels the poison working its way through him. One man taking a bomb meant for an entire planet.

 _You promised, you promised, you promised!_ Blue cries.

"We had some good times, hey, Blue?

Blue cries out in agony, broadcasting to someone, anyone, anything that can help. The other lions respond in kind, telling her that the Paladins know something is wrong.

 _Why, why, why?_ Blue repeats. _You promised! Lance, you promised you'd be okay!_

"Only way to save the planet and all that jazz," Lance laughs weakly. "I'm the useless one, no way I was going to let the others get hurt."

_You're not useless. You're my Paladin! I need you!_

"You'll be okay, Blue."

Blood drips from Lance's mouth as he coughs. He thinks of home. Home, a place where he wishes he could be. It's been so long since he's seen his family...

The airlock hisses open and he tries to push himself up to see who was stupid enough to come into the lion. Allura's eyes meet his and he grins.

"Hey, Princess."

"Lance, what have you done?"

"What I had to. No! Don't take your helmet off!" Lance jerks forward and falls to the floor. He pushes himself up onto his elbows to try and stop her from making the same mistake he did. If the last thing he'll do in this life is protect her, it must be a good way to go. Looks like he did something right after all.

"Lance, you took a bomb that could have killed an entire planet!"

"I'm not dead yet though."

The arguing stops as a beeping sound rings through the lion. Allura vanishes for all of ten seconds, reappearing with the bomb in her hands. She drops it near to Lance and he stares.

"Two explosions?" Lance breathes. "That's so cool. You gotta tell Pidge."

The timer reads two seconds.

Lance meets eyes with Allura, whose helmet is still on. His is not, having fallen to the other side of the lion.

One.

 _Home,_ Lance thinks.

The bomb goes off, and Blue's windshield shatters. Lance doesn't even have time to scream.

_Home._


End file.
